On June 13 when Dr GD Agrawal, the eminent 76-year-old environmental scientist started a fast unto death to protest indiscriminate dam building on the Bhagirathi Ganga river, many wondered whether his gesture would be in vain. The government, by and large, turns a deaf ear to such protests. Two groups, who could not be more unlike each other, took up the cause. The Alumni Association of IIT Kanpur and the All India Association of Sadhus met the Union Government and lobbied with the state government of Uttarakhand. And, surprisingly, Dr Agrawal scored a major victory.

On June 13 when Dr GD Agrawal, the eminent 76-year-old environmental scientist started a fast unto death to protest indiscriminate dam building on the Bhagirathi Ganga river, many wondered whether his gesture would be in vain. The government, by and large, turns a deaf ear to such protests. Two groups, who could not be more unlike each other, took up the cause.

The present study was undertaken in the six major valleys of Garhwal Himalaya, Uttarakhand to understand and quantify the contribution of pack animals in reducing CO2 emission in Indian Central Himalaya. The study has demonstrated that horses and mules provide direct and indirect services to the society and country. The direct services include communication services in far-flung and remote areas not connected with the road network, where they transport essential

Hundreds of trees are protected as living natural monuments and are associated with wisdom and immortality in India. In Uttarakhand, some trees hold special cultural and religious significance like peepal, banyan, mango etc. It was at the International Forestry Conference at Rome in 1926 that Protection of Natural Features were discussed. In 1929 Sir H.G. Champion, Silviculturist, Forest Research Institute mooted the idea of preservation of elite trees along with establishment of Preservation Plots and resolution No. 22 was passed.

In the hill areas, the traditional systems of dependence on forest products like fuel for their households and fodder for their livestock has an important bearing on the status of Himalayan watersheds. The population of livestock is therefore also significant. The fuel and fodder requirements of the hill people are important routine activities for which women/children spend long hours of their day-to-day life.